
Book„G>_^_., 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 



BY 



HENRY GANNEIT. 



NEW YORK : 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. 

1881. 

[Price, 20 Cents.] 



INDIAN TERRITORY 



HENRY GANNETT. 



li /^ 



PR 18 188U 



NEW YORK : 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

1881. 

TlT »a./ 



COPYKIGHT, 1880, BY 

HENRY GANNETT 



Of 



\^ 



Jenkins & Thomas, 

Printers, 

8 Spruce Street, 

NEW YORK. 



INDIAN TEERITORY. 



Indian Territory is a tract of land In the 
southern central portion of the United States, 
which has been set apart as a reservation for 
the use of various tribes of Indians. It lies be- 
tween the parallels of 33° and 37° N. lat. and 
the meridians of 17° and 23° W. long, of Wash- 
ington (94° and 100^ W. of Greenwich). It is 
bounded N. by Kansas, E. by Missouri and Ar- 
kansas, and S. and W. by Texas. The area is 
estimated approximately at 69,000 square miles. 
The eastern portion is fertile and well watered, 
having an annual rainfall of 40 to 50 inches, and 
a mean annual temperature of about 60° Fahr. 
The surface is mainly rolling prairie, with broad 
stretches of rich land along the streams, and an 
abundance of timber. This section of the ter- 
ritory is separated from the western part, which 
presents a different aspect, by a broad belt of 
forest, known as the " Cross Timbers," which 
extends nearly across the territory in a north 
and south direction, marking the outcrop of the 
Carboniferous formation. Its breadth ranges 
from 40 to 60 miles. 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 



West of this singular strip of forest the coun- 
try assumes the appearance of the *' Great 
Plains," — that long incline which stretches 
eastward from the base of the Rocky Mountains. 
The surface is a monotonous, rolling, treeless 
expanse. The valleys are shallow, and the divid- 




Map of Indian Territory. 

ing ridges are broad and slightly marked. 
The climate is comparatively dry, the average 
annual rainfall being but 20 to 25 inches ; and 
irrigation is needed for the successful cultivation 
of most crops. The mean annual temperature 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 5 

is somewhat lower than in the east, while the 
contrast in this regard between summer and 
winter, day and night, becomes much more 
marked. Timber is found only in the river 
valleys, on the faces of bluffs, and among the 
hills. 

The generally level surface of prairies and 
plains is broken in the southern and south-east- 
ern parts of the territory by ranges and groups 
of hills, which rise from a few hundred to 1500 
feet above the surrounding country. These hills, 
known as the San Bois Hills, Shawnee Hills, 
Wichita Mountains, &c., form a part of the Ozark 
Mountains, which extend eastward over into 
Missouri and Arkansas. 

The principal rivers of the territory are the 
Arkansas with its branches, the Neosho, the 
Salt and Red Forks, and the Canadian, with its 
North Fork, and, in the southern part of the 
territory, the Red River, which forms the 
boundary with Texas, and its branch, the 
Washita. All these are of little or no import- 
ance as regards navigation. The eastern part 
of the territory is well watered, but the west- 
ern part, except at times of flood, in late 
spring and early summer, has few flowing 
streams. 



6 INDIAN TERRITORY. 

The geology of the region is very imperfect- 
ly known, as no survey has been made, with 
the exception of two or three hasty reconnais- 
sances. The general outline of the distribution 
of geological formations is as follows: The 
eastern third of the territory is occupied by the 
Carboniferous formation. In the south-eastern 
corner, near Red River, it is covered by the 
Cretaceous. In the eastern portion there are 
several outcrops of granite, marking the loca- 
tion of groups ef the Oz-ark Hills, The west- 
ern two-thirds of the territory are covered by 
Triassic and Jurassic beds, with the exception 
of the granite mass of the Wichita Mountains. 
The mineral resources are almost totally un- 
known. It is highly probable that the territory 
contains extensive deposits of coal, and it is 
very possible that the precious metals may be 
found in the Ozark Hills. 

The fauna and flora partake of the double 
character of the surface and climate. In the 
eastern part they tend toward subtropical types, 
while the western portion presents forms more 
or less peculiar to the arid plains. In the east- 
ern part deer, and brown and black bears are 
quite abundant, except in the neighborhood of 
settlements ; and wild turkeys are plentiful. 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 7 

In the western part antelopes and bison are the 
principal large game ; wild horses are still oc- 
casionally met with, and various species of 
grouse, sage hens, owls, rattlesnakes, gophers, 
and prairie dogs are abundant. The vegetation 
of the eastern part is profuse, especially in the 
bottom lands. The forests present a great var- 
iety of species very similar to those found 
throughout the lower Mississippi valley ; among 
them are several species of oak and pine, cy- 
press, red cedar, black walnut, gum tree, &c. 
Among the wild fruits, which also present much 
variety, are plums, persimmons, grapes, &c. 
On the plains of the western part of the terri- 
tory the principal natural productions are the 
grasses, which, growing in tufts or bunches, are 
known collectively as bunch or buffalo grass. 
While this is the prevailing growth, in the more 
desert localities its place is usurped more or 
less by artemisia, cactus, and yucca. 

Inhabitants. — Besides the Indians who origin- 
ally inhabited this territory, the United States 
Government has from time to time moved thither 
entire tribes, or parts of tribes, from more or less 
distant portions of the country, assigning to 
each tribe a definite area or " reservation." The 
immigrants now outnumber very largely the 



8 INDIAN TERRITORY. 

original occupants of the soil. The reservation 
is, to a certain extent, a prison-house. An In- 
dian is not allowed to leave it without a pass 
from the agent ; nor are whites allowed to set- 
tle on it, or even to visit it. Exception is made, 
however, in the case of white men who marry 
Indian women. In the case of most of the 
tribes, the Government holds in trust funds be- 
longing to them derived from the sale of their 
original land. The income from these funds 
is paid in the form of subsistence and clothing, 
live stock, and tools. An agent is appointed 
for each tribe or group of tribes, for the pur- 
pose of regulating its relations with the Gov- 
ernment, and of providing and issuing these 
supplies. With few exceptions, the Indians 
still retain the tribal- organization, although, 
with their progress in civilization, their forms 
of self-governmenl have undergone some 
changes. The five civilized tribes have, besides 
the principal and the subordinate chiefs, a coun- 
cil, which corresponds in many respects to the 
legislature of a State. They also have simple 
codes of laws, and courts to enforce them. The 
territory has no representation in the national 
Government. For the enforcement of United 
States laws it is attached to the western judi- 
cial district of Arkansas. 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 9 

It is difficult to obtain correct estimates of 
the number of Indians in the territory, as many 
of them lead a Avandering life. No accurate 
census has been taken, and the only data avail- 
able are the estimates made by the Indian 
agents. The report of Indian affairs for 1879 
contains the estimates given in the following 
table, which also shows the areas of the different 
reservations : — 



Tribes. 



Cheyenne . 
Arapahoe . 
Kiowa. . . . 
Comanche 
Apache. 
Wichita. . . 
Kaw. ... 
Osage .... 
Quapaw . . 
Pawnee . . . 
Ponca . . . . 
Nez Perce. 
Waco .... 
Towaconie 
Keechie . . 
Caddo .... 
Delaware . 



Pop. 



3,593 
1,903 
1,138 

1,552 

315 
209 
360 

2,135 

188 

1,440 

530 

370 

49 

155 

75 

543 



Area, 
sq. miles. 



6,715 



■5,800 



2,447 
442 
301 



Tribes. 



Peoria 

Miami 

Modoc 

Wyandot . . . 
Ottawa . . . 

Seneca 

Shawnee. . . . 
Sac and Fox . 
Kickapoo . . . 
Pottawat- I 
tamie.. \ 
Cherokee . . . 
Creek .... . 
Choctaw . . . 
Chickasaw . . 
Seminole .... 



Pop. 



Area, 
sq. miles. 



260 
140 

235 
800 

573; 
390 

325; 
20,000 

i4,5oo[ 

16,500! 

7,ooo| 

2,500 



78 

6 

33 

o3 
82 

20 
750 

900 

7,861 

5,025 

10,450 

7,267 

312 



The total number, according to these esti- 
mates, is 78,142. The white population living 



lO 



INDIAN TERRITORY, 



in the territory is very small, consisting almost 
exclusively of the agents and their dependants, 
the garrisons at a few military posts, and the 
employees of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas 
Railway, which crosses the eastern portion of 
the territory. 

Several of the tribes, notably the Cherokees, 
Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles, 
have made considerable advance in civilization. 
All the members of the above tribes wear the 
ordinary dress, live in houses, and are engaged 
in civilized pursuits. Their occupations are al- 
most entirely farming and stock-raising, prin- 
cipally the former. They support schools, 
which are attended by a large proportion of the 
children of the tribes. 

The following tables, taken from the report 
on Indian affairs for 1879, illustrate the pro- 
gress made by these five tribes : — 



Popula- 
tion. 



! Cherokees 20,000 

Choctaws 16,500 

Creeks i4»5oo 

Chickasaws .... 7,000 
Seminoles 2,500 



Number 
of houses 
occupied. 



4,800 
4,500 

4,300 
1,900 

750 



Number Amount 
attending spent on 
school. e^"^ation, 
1879. 



3,200 

1,400 

800 

650 

200 



74,000 
30,000 
28,356 
22,000 
2,500 



Number! 

who can I 

read. | 



16,000' 
11,000 
3,500 

2,6ooj 

550 



INDIAN TERRITORY. 



II 



Agrictdtttrai Products in iSyg. 



Cherokees.. 
Choctaws .. 
Creeks. . . . 
Chickasaws 
Seminoles 



Acres 
culti- 
vated. 


Wheat, 
bushels. 


Oats and 
Barley, 
bushels. 


Indian 

Com, 

bushels. 


Vege- 
tables, 
bushels. 


Hay, 
tons. 


80,000 
90,000 
60,000 
30,000 
13,000 


350,000 

140,000 

65,000 

10,000 

400 


125,000 

35,000 

20,000 

20,000 

500 


700,000 
600,000 
95,000 
420,000 
200,000 


150,000 

85,000 

60,000 

40,000 

1,700 


60,000 
50,000 
50,000 
15,000 
1,500 



In 1878 there were 263,000 acres in the terri- 
tory under cultivation by Indian labor ; 503,000 
bushels of wheat were produced, 3,038,000 of 
Indian corn, 220,000 of oats and barley, 339,000 
of vegetables, and 120,000 tons of hay. The 
live stock consisted of S9>200 horses, 249,000 
cattle, 189,400 swine, and 22,500 sheep. 

The population of the five civilized tribes is 
almost entirely rural. There are no large 
towns. The principal settlements are Tahle- 
quah, the capital of the Cherokee nation ; Cad- 
do, in the Choctaw, Muscogee in the Creek, and 
Tishomingo in the Chickasaw country, and Vi- 
nita, a railroad town on the Missouri, Kansas, 
and Texas line. 



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